Refrigerated locker system



April 23, 1940. w. Mex. BAIRD REFRIGERATED LocxER sYsTEn 5 sheets-sheet 1 Filed Jan. 26, 1939 April 23, 1940. w. Mex. BAIRD REFRIGERATED LOCKER SYSTEM Fied Jan. 26, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 pri 23, 1940.

w. MqK. BAIRD REFRIGERATED LOCKER SYSTEM Filed Jan. 26, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 w. Mex. 5mn 2,198,239

REFRIGBRATED LGCKER I SYSTEH Filed Jan. 26, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 J3 L4M April 23, 1940. V w. McK. lBAIRD 2,198,239

REFRIGERATED LOCKR SYSTEM Filed Jan. 2e. 1939 5 sheets-sneet 5- r, #Cif-, y ff a 7 f 1 Je" i l 1 i hdi/12%@ Patented Apr. 23, 1940 2,198,239 REFRIGERATED Looxaa sYs'r/EM William McKinley Baird, Chicago, Ill.

Application January 26, 1939, Serial No. 252,973

2 Claims.

In rural communities it has long been a problem for .the individual farmer to preserve his meat and other perishable products. Where there are sumcient farmers in a community this problem may be solved by a central refrigerated` depot. Heretofore 'such depots have been ice houses or cold storage places usually refrigerated by blocks of ice and having a plurality of hooks upon which the farmersycould place their meat.

l0 This type of refrigerated depot required the y farmer to enter the same-and in some instances come from a warm temperature to a cold one.v

V9,5 outside of the system. In this way the user is vnot only protected against sudden and severe changes in temperature but the products themselves are safe from contamination by the entry therein of foreign matter. My refrigerated lock-` er system has such other objects, advantages and capabilities as will later more fully appear and which are inherently possessed by my invention.

While I have shown in the accompanying drawings a preferred form of my invention yet I wish lit understood that the same is susceptible of modification and change without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1' is a perspectivel view of a double unit coupled as diagrammatically shown with a typical refrigerating plant; Fig. 2 is a perspective View of eight containers or lockers of a unit with portions broken away to reveal air ducts and passages in detail;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of a unit showing eight containers or lockers in place; Fig. 4-is a face view on staggered line 4-4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a top plan view on line 5-5 of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a `perspective detailed view of one of the splash 55 The embodiment selected to illustrate my invention discloses a refrigerated locker system I0 having one or more units II, each unit housing a plurality of lockers I2. My unit II may be cooledor refrigerated by suitable connections with any well known refrigeration means. In s Fig. 1 the blower 50 of a conventional refrigeration plant is shown. This blower forces air through the refrigeration plant and the cold air is then passed into duct 40 of the unit II. After the air has passed through the unit II it is rel0 turned to the blower through exit 46.

Referring more particularly to my unit II I prefer to have a double unit with lockers or drawers on either side as clearly shown in Fig. 3 and indicated in Fig. 1. i5

My double unit comprises a shell I3 of plywood or the like having sides I4 and a top I5. Insulation I6 is suitably attached to the interior walls of the shell I3. My shell I3 is suitably attached 'to `a metal skeleton structure I1. This metal 20 skeleton structure I1 has a central frame I8 which is formed by welding two T angles together or by one X- section. Each end of the central frame I3 terminates in a T. A front frame I3 is made up of angles 20. Tie yangles 2l extend between and are attached to the front frame I9 and the central frame I3 and form tracks 22. Adjacent the front portions of the tracks, rollers 23 are attached.

The face 24 of shell I3 is cut'out to form a plurality of openings 25 suitable to receive drawers which run on tracks 22.

=, Each of the drawers 24 has a pair of side angles 21 connected by tie or rear angles 23. At the rear 'of said side angles 21 each of said drawers 26 has a roller 29 adapted to facilitate the movement of the drawer on the tracks 22. Attached to the front ends of the side angles 21 is an im- Derforate front wall door 33 which has attached to its inner surface suitable insulation 3I. Wire mesh is attached to the rear angles 23 to form a rear screen 32, and wire mesh is also attached to the side angles 21 to form side screens 33. A bottom pan 34 is held in place preferably by the same bolts that fasten the rear angles to the side a angles. The front edge of the bottom pan may be l turned up with the edge turned back and with holes in the turned up portion to receive bolts for attachment tothe front'wall. Each front wall 30 has a suitable handle 35 containing retaining and locking mechanism.

Insulation is attached to the outer face 24 of the shell I3, said insulation being covered by horizontal 3B and vertical 31 strips. The front face 33 of the drawer 23 extends forwardly so as to be u substantiallyv flush with the strips 36 and 3L Each drawer 26 has a gasket 38 attached to the inner edges of a ilange 39 on the face 30 so as to seal the drawer upon the same being in closed position. Y

A preferred form of circulation of cold air for my unit l I is shown in Fig. 3 wherein the air flows from a duct 46 into channel 4I which extends laterally across the entire width of the unit through the insulation at the topv thereof. At the top of each vertical row of drawers 26 is a splash plate 42 attached to the central frame I8 forming a lnarrow passageway directing the cold air down tom of the unit and is then directed upwardly in channel 45 to an exit 46.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A refrigerated locker system comprising a shell, insulation attached to the inner walls of said shell, a metal framework attached to said shell, a plurality of tracks attached to said i ramework, a plurality of lockers of substantial length, breadth and height ,slidable on said tracks, said lockers having imperforate front walls, said shell having aA plurality of spaced openings to receive said front walls, said front walls having externally manually operable means to permit any of said lockers to be withdrawn from the shell to allow access thereto, said lockers having open mesh rear and side air receiving portions; means for supplying fresh cold air, said shell having an inlet channel extending across its width at the top thereof, a duct connecting said means for supply,` ing cold air with said inlet channel, directing members attached Ato said framework for 'directing theA cold air down to, in and around the open l air receiving portions of said lockers, Isaid shell having an outlet channel adjacent the bottom portion thereof to receive the iiow of air after it has passed below the lockers, and an exit conduit communicating with said outlet channel.

2. A refrigerated locker system Acomprising a shell, insulation attached to the inner walls of said shell, a metal framework attached to said shell, said framework formed of a plurality of spaced angle irons, a plurality of tracks attached to said spaced angle irons, a plurality of lockers of substantial length, breadth and height having imperforate front walls, said lockers slidable on said tracks and spaced from each other so as to leave passageways therebetween, said lockers having open mesh rear and side air receiving portions, said shell having a plurality of spaced openings to receive the front walls of said lockers, said front walls having externally manually operable means to permit any of said lockers to be withdrawn and to allow access to said lockers from outside the shell, said lockers having insulation, means for supplying fresh co'ld air, said shell having an inlet channel extending laterally across its width at the 'top thereof and through the insulation, a duct attached at one end to said means lfor supplying cold` air, said duct passing through said shell and communicating at its other end with said inlet channel for passing cold air thereto, splash plates attached to the top of said framework for directing the cold air down to the passagewaysaround said lockers WILLIAM MCKINLEY BAIRD. 

